Voting on amendments: a unique campaign

Author: Dmitry Kiselev

July 1, ended a nationwide vote on amendments to the Constitution of Russia. The amendment is known, has been discussed for a month. In short, they make public administration system more balanced and sustainable, by the state Constitution also recognizes its social character, upholds the tradition of our culture, the inalienability of our territories — also confirmed by a separate amendment.

a Special moment — the people allows Putin to go in the 2024 presidential election. Or if you look at the amendment on the other hand, the people voting at the last insisted on their right to 2024 to vote for a worthy candidate, while not denying opportunities to be nominated and the incumbent President.

Now we have someone afraid of the number “2036”, “poses” her bodies on the earth or makes the headlines of Western Newspapers. The us state Department even expressed concern that Putin will remain until that time. Well, it only says that Washington believes in good health of Putin and that he will be able to win a national election. Confidence justified.

as for Putin himself, that for a long time, thinking about sports, he said: not to argue with the referee, must win a clear advantage. Yeah, actually now happened. Putin on the ballot won a victory behind a clear advantage. Offered with its submission of the amendment, plus the amendment Tereshkova, being put to a popular vote, was approved by almost 80% came to the polls. If it does exactly what 77,92. But it’s still four-fifths “for” one fifth “against” — of 21.27%. A clear advantage.

Strictly speaking, the Constitution of 1993 voted only 33 million people, as voters we had 106 million. That is, until now we have had the Constitution of a minority. Now if, again in absolute numbers we have the Constitution with amendments voted by almost 58 million people, despite the fact that voters 109 million. That is, we have Constitution of the majority. Important point. Well, as you wish. As a result, Russia — a new Constitution is more legitimate, kind, clearer, more Patriotic, more ours.

Author: Andrew Grigorev

And the campaign itself was unique, and the ballot — which never happened. In the plots for a week has become the icebreaker “Arktika”, which is now on sea trials in the Gulf of Finland, pier in Sevastopol for black sea fleet sailors, the wheat fields of the Stavropol region, for growers of the South of Russia, hospitals for doctors, continues to fight coronavirus.

“In electronic form many voted. Very properly done — there is no rush. And during the week in a quiet mode came and voted,” said Andrew Skoda, the head physician of GKB №67 named after L. A. Vorohoba.

for the First time voted even in space. The commander of the spacecraft “Soyuz MS-16” Anatoly Ivanishin have used remote electronic means. He was extraordinarily popular with the public.

“the Results are impressive. The proportion of those who showed up and voted — more than 90%. This suggests that the technology is in demand and easy. Any major technical problems we have not seen. Will spread to other regions. We believe that technology will continue to develop actively and it has a great future”, — said Maksut Shadaev, Minister for digital development, communications, and mass communications.

a Record number of observers — 526 thousand in two and a half times more than is normally present in the elections. All of this, so nobody had doubts in legitimacy of results. Foreign experts — even in the Russian Crimea.

“It’s a very well-organized electoral process. Meets all sanitary requirementsaanya all precautions. I think that in General, for Crimeans this is a good opportunity to reaffirm the choices they have made in 2014. From a technical point of view, everything is really well organized,” said Thierry Mariani, international expert, member of the European Parliament from France.

In this campaign and volunteers were an unprecedented number, more than one hundred thousand. They explained to the population the essence of the amendments and helped to vote.

voter Turnout of almost 68% and is much higher than in 1993, when I took this very Constitution. Then the site came about 55% of the electorate.

“Such a high activity of Russians and their encouragement of the amendments, they were expected. First, because these changes are overdue. The second is that a lot of people were involved in the preparation of these amendments, in their discussion of civil society institutions, and, of course, it was clear and it was obvious that is, I would say, the people’s amendment,” said Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko.

Voting days were distributed evenly, but most of all was, of course, July 1 — the date was scheduled a vote. On this day, urged all to come, Vladimir Putin, President of the memorial Rzhev, and he came to the area in the Russian Academy of Sciences.

not only that, people suggested different ways — at home, in the workplace, and even remotely — so even traditional voting was going on for a week, so the plots were not crowds. Compulsory measures to protect the population from coronavirus, has been so successful that they propose to use in the future.

“We study the needs of society. The demand was great, people liked our principles. We offered these seven days, spread in time, offered all the rest. It has justified itself”, — said the CEC head Ella Pamfilova.

Serious violations, which would allow to doubt as a result, not exist at all, and minor flaws are dismantled directly on the meetings of the CEC. But the fake — a gallery in the foreign press.

“the Reporters were running all over Moscow in search of protest rallies and tried out to include a live broadcast. From squares, squares everywhere, so to speak, agitated people have something to say. The child project “Radio liberty” “Realities” “immortalized” in the name of Western journalism heartbreaking stuff about how the Cauldron, one voter took the ballot with him,” said Alexander Malkevich, the head of the expert-Advisory group of the public chamber on public control over remote e-voting.

Opposition leader Garnett has distributed these frames have garages prikopat a whole stack of completed ballots. But a street camera caught the day before, he there package and hid. Or is the activist of the movement “Voice” Alexey Ivanov, the story takes on violations at the polling station №617 in Zhukovsky, and then the scenery dismantled, the whole plot was a fake and constructed solely in order to remove videoonline.

“a Few hundred henchmen of the foreign puppeteers is not able to baffle tens of millions of our fellow citizens, to influence their sovereign choice,” said Andrei Klimov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on international Affairs.

“Those who support, became twice more. So now we have all the opportunities to combine efforts and, if such consolidation to solve the problems facing the country, to make it even stronger and, of course, solve the problems of citizens, which exist”, — reads Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the state Duma.

In many regions was greater than 90% of the voting, less than half — in a single Autonomous district.

“Almost all regions, except one, supported the amendments to the Conthe Constitution provided. I remind you that in 1993 the 17 regions of the amendments are not supported. Today, almost all, with the exception of the Nenets Autonomous district. I think the reason, in my opinion, understandable because someone wanted to attach this to the Autonomous Okrug of Arkhangelsk region. This is a very small district, there is less than 50 thousand people lives, and, apparently, the residents of this County don’t want to anyone to join. Here is the protest vote turned out,” — said Valery Fadeev, the President of the HRC.

the Constitution of minorities was replaced by the Constitution of the majority. In 1993 the basic law voted 33 million people, and now almost 58. It is more even than in the presidential election of 2018, when Vladimir Putin was 56.5 million voters.

“In a difficult situation, we held in essence a referendum on the Constitution. And this vote was not just a vote for the Constitution, but a kind of referendum on the support of the President of the Russian Federation, its course, its system of measures to bring Russia out of the crisis, to support residents and business during a pandemic”, — said the mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin.

Amendments and substantial experienced during a pandemic. All government support measures to the unemployed, families with children, the poor, they just appear in the new articles of the basic law. People appreciated the consistency in the decisions of the President and what he is proposing amendments to the Constitution, appealed directly to the people.

“the vote on the amendments to the Constitution, affirming the support of the society proposed by the President of the course for the development of the country, of course, confronts the government with new tasks for the implementation of all directions of development of our country and reinforces the personal responsibility of each of us in entrusted area of work”, — said the Chairman of the government Mikhail Mishustin.

Itself a nationwide vote, the law provides is a personal initiative of the President, and now he thanks to all who supported this idea, — the absolute majority of citizens.

“I want to speak with words of gratitude to the citizens of Russia. I want to say thank you very much for the support and trust. I have repeatedly talked about the need for the adoption of amendments to the Constitution. We have here the improvement of the political system and the consolidation of social guarantees, and strengthening the sovereignty, territorial integrity and finally, our theological, historical, moral values which unite the generations. However, understand those of our citizens who voted against it. We still have many unresolved problems, that’s true. And people are often faced with injustice, callousness, and indifference. Many still live in very difficult and complicated. And we, the leadership of the country, while it often seems that we are doing everything possible. But no, life shows another. Life shows that we are often not doing enough, and needs to act faster, more accurate, more organized and more efficient. Together with the results of the national vote shows that the overwhelming majority of Russian citizens believe that we can do better,” — said the head of state.

Here it is, the decree of the President of the official publication of the Constitution, as amended. The new edition of the Russian Constitution, have already been published and even appeared on the shelves of bookstores. Only here on each instance right on the cover is written: “Shall enter into force after Russian vote”. Now this remark can already be removed.

On the Foundation of the Constitution is now expected to grow a new Russian laws.

“the Constitution affects so many crucial spheres of public relations. And we always told people that many of the amendments that were done, they should be reflected in sectoral laws, special laws,” said Andrei Klishas, a co-chair of the working group on preparation of proposals on making popthe text was in the Constitution.

“the Value of the amendments is their consistency. And it is this consistency will give your score a boost for the development of our country. And, of course, these results we will implement systematically, comprehensively, through sectoral legislation”, — said Pavel Krasheninnikov, co-chair of the working group on preparation of proposals on introducing amendments to the Constitution.

the Work on amendments to the basic law is complete, but the group that was engaged, consisting of Russian politicians, experts, cultural figures, decided not to disband — will remain in the same composition.

“Your suggestions are exactly coincided with the expectations of the people. Suffice to mention the initiative of Vladimir Mashkov prohibiting the alienation of the territory. I think many people have seen reports, as residents of one of the territories of Russia, for whom this topic is of particular importance, literally took the words of Vladimir Leontyevich that this amendment shall be of reinforced concrete. In honor of the 67th article of the Constitution, where it is recorded that order, is a right established of concrete the commemorative token”, — said Vladimir Putin.

Here it is, a concrete argument with the text of the amendments on the inviolability of the Russian borders, which is set in the centre of Yuzhno-Kurilsk on Kunashir island. In different regions in different languages, people say, “My country, my Constitution.” But certainly finish all in Russian.

“We all made a fateful choice for our country. All the amendment is about the integrity of the country and the unity of the people”, — said the people of Chukotka.

Upholds traditional family values, for example, marriage as the Union of a man and a woman, but how then to react to, say, a flag of the LGBT community, posted on public display in the center of Moscow on the facade of the American Embassy?

“Yes, they the thing there about someone who works there. But don’t worry-we have said many times on this, and we have positivetion is clear. In Russia was not, and will not be anything to do with the limitation of rights based on race, sexual orientation, nationality, religious on some grounds, never in Russia was not and never will be. The issue is quite different. Yes, we have a few years ago a law was passed banning the promotion of homosexuality among minors. Well, what, let people grow up, become an adult and will decide their own destiny, to impose just nothing, in what we are against. Against imposing something. And so it is those who attack us in this direction, breaking just in the open door. It is better to let a look, in some countries there is still a penal law according to which gay people can be prosecuted, as it was in the Soviet Union. We have nothing similar, and in some States sexual orientation people may be sentenced to death. Here let them take care of business, there will be picking,” he said.

International calls Russia only strengthen, even the epidemic of the coronavirus showed how United the country can fight the scourge is much more effective than all the Western States. Russia in medicine, industry, agriculture, opens new horizons, and that it needed additional forces.

“In Russia there is a basic law of a new type of social value the Constitution. It protects not only the person but the ideals of the Russian people. This means that we get the unshakable basis for confidence in the future,” says Talia khabrieva, co-chair of the working group on preparation of proposals on introducing amendments to the Constitution.

the Russian people — a common history, in which there is something to be proud of, the total present, which has the most industries, and now — common future, defined jointly adopted by the constiConstitution.

Text: “News of the week”